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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26231959">Observations</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Faefyre/pseuds/Faefyre'>Faefyre</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Criminal Minds (US TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>First Kiss, Fluff, M/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 11:22:26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,265</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26231959</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Faefyre/pseuds/Faefyre</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Spencer is observing Aaron over the years. Will there ever come a moment when he can get what he wants?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Aaron Hotchner/Spencer Reid</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>219</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Observations</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/perclexed/gifts">perclexed</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is perclexed's, because she put the bunny in my head.</p>
<p>Marvelous beta by Isagel.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Spencer thinks that Aaron Hotchner is an intensely private man, much like himself. So when he shows himself to be physical, Spencer is surprised every time - the heat coming off of the man standing so close behind him he can almost feel his chest against his back, Aaron’s hands millimeters away from his, correcting his posture with just a light touch here and there. Spencer knows that shooting isn’t his strong suit, and that it maybe never will be. Wanting to be better is something that he can never resist, though, and he feels safer in the field when he’s armed. He doesn’t want to stay behind when the rest of the team takes down an unsub, doesn’t want to be the one who can’t help when it’s needed. He is distracted, and Aaron’s hands and voice bring him back to the here and now, so immediate that he has to suppress a shiver. </p>
<p>“Left foot forward two inches,” Aaron murmurs, and Spencer obeys without questioning. </p>
<p>Front sight, trigger press, follow through.</p>
<p>********************</p>
<p>Watching Aaron interrogate a suspect is a sight to behold. Spencer watches in the next room together with Morgan and J.J., all of them crowded around a tiny screen. </p>
<p>Aaron sitting in his chair with his shoulders slumped, making himself small and non-threatening. Spencer grins, the suspect has no idea what he’s in for. </p>
<p>Spencer knows all the theories on interrogation, but he also knows that there are some moves he can’t pull off - yet - because he simply can’t make himself be intimidating enough. </p>
<p>Aaron takes off his jacket, puts it carefully over the back of his chair. Getting close now. He rolls his sleeves half way up his underarms. Spencer swallows.</p>
<p>Aaron, of course, has no problem whatsoever with intimidation. Although Spencer has noticed that immediately afterwards, he’s softer and kinder when dealing with the team, as if he’s saying that the intimidation is only for the interrogation room, that they can still come to him whenever they need to. As if they didn’t know.</p>
<p>In the room, Aaron explodes out of his seat, stunning the suspect. With his hands firmly planted on the table between them, he looms over the man, firing questions, demanding answers. </p>
<p>Afterwards, he strides out of the room, sending them a small smile and leads the way to the conference room. They all follow.</p>
<p>*********************</p>
<p>When he watches Aaron and Dave train Jack’s football team one Saturday morning, he finally sees what they’ve all been missing out on at work. Aaron running along the sideline, shouting instructions and encouragements at the children, a huge smile on his face. Dimples in full view. Laughing. </p>
<p>Spencer is speechless. He has catalogued every small smile, every slight showing of those dimples as long as he’s known the man, and this single hour is putting his collection to shame. </p>
<p>When Aaron goes down on his knees at the end, catching Jack in a big hug, Spencer can feel the love radiating off of them. </p>
<p>He’s fiercely jealous that Dave gets to see Aaron like this every week.</p>
<p>**********************</p>
<p>As intimidating as Aaron can be with suspects, he’s unfailingly soft and warm to the victims. Spencer wishes he had that kind of presence, the kind where the victim immediately relaxes and knows they’re safe, safe with Aaron.</p>
<p>It’s his eyes, Spencer has decided, chocolate brown and full of honest attention. That laser focus that can destroy an unsub, softened into a glow that envelopes everything he touches. </p>
<p>Spencer sighs. He’d never dream of being envious of the people their unsubs hurt, but sometimes he remembers.</p>
<p>He remembers that one time, after Hankel, that full body hug and that focus on nothing but him, and as much as he despises Hankel and everything he did to him, he can’t help reliving that hug over and over sometimes, the feeling of complete safety that washed over him like a tidal wave. </p>
<p>********************</p>
<p>Aaron looks amazing in his suits, and Spencer has seen enough of him in everyday clothes on their after work outings that he knows Aaron has a dream of a body. Sometimes that knowledge almost bowls him over, though, like now, when he sees Aaron running at full speed towards the finishing line, sweating, still wet from swimming. </p>
<p>They’re all cheering, though the other guys don’t seem to have as much of a hard-on as he has from watching their boss run a triathlon. </p>
<p>He trails behind when they all go to meet Aaron behind the finishing line, watching Jack on Morgan’s shoulders, waving his sign excitedly. Aaron grins at them and hugs Jack, and Spencer soaks it up.</p>
<p>**********************</p>
<p>Spencer and Aaron are often the last ones in the office, Aaron doing paperwork because he has to and Spencer because he, weirdly enough, likes it - something Morgan can never not make fun of.</p>
<p>A few months ago, Aaron asked him if he wanted Indian take-out, and after noticing he actually was hungry, he had said yes. They had eaten in Aaron’s office and worked on afterwards.</p>
<p>The next time, Aaron had brought his files to the couch and had worked from there, and the time after that Spencer had, as an experiment, brought a small pile of his own files and had stayed in Aaron’s office, the two of them working quietly next to each other. </p>
<p>Now it’s almost a ritual that when the others have gone, one of them goes to get dinner, and then they settle down, eating and working. The couch is tiny, so they have to sit almost thigh to thigh, not that Spencer minds. </p>
<p>Tonight, Aaron has brought Spencer almost to the point of distraction by loosening his tie and rolling up his sleeves. </p>
<p>Aaron looks through a document and huffs, and after a questioning glance from Spencer, says, “Be glad you’re not unit chief, is all I’m saying.”</p>
<p>“I am,” Spencer grins, letting the “I’m glad it’s you” be unsaid. </p>
<p>Spencer finishes his files and starts reading the book he brought with him, until Aaron looks at him disbelievingly, raises an eyebrow and asks, “Why are you staying here when you don’t have any work?”</p>
<p>Spencer sighs and zeroes in on Aaron’s mouth, and after a second, decides that he has had enough and just goes for it. He leans slowly into Aaron’s space, giving him more than enough time to ask him what the hell he is doing, until he takes Aaron’s lips in a soft kiss. </p>
<p>Aaron doesn’t even look surprised, he just melts into Spencer and moans quietly, which completely undoes him. </p>
<p>They kiss for what seems an eternity, and when they finally come up, breathing hard, Aaron grins at Spencer and says, “I thought we’d never get there.”</p>
<p>**********************</p>
<p>It has been a few weeks, and Spencer still can’t believe how good it is to be around Aaron when he’s not working, to have him laughing, smiling, moaning, screaming, as good as whenever he wants him to. </p>
<p>They’re out with the team and Aaron is wearing these jeans that he knows Spencer can’t wait to rip off of him. Dave gives them a look and shakes his head slightly, grinning at them.</p>
<p>Spencer whispers, “Did you tell Dave?” and Aaron laughs, and whispers back, “I didn’t have to. You’re not the only one who’s observant here.”</p>
<p>He puts an arm around Spencer’s shoulders and draws him in until he leans against him, and none of the team misses a beat.</p>
<p>Spencer settles in and lets the feeling of safety and joy wash over him. Inside, he shakes his head at himself. Observant, indeed.</p>
<p>**********************<br/>THE END<br/>**********************</p>
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